


Touch

by Lokomotiv



Series: Touch [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 19:20:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11191716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokomotiv/pseuds/Lokomotiv
Summary: Nobody touches Jughead anymore, and ithurts.





	Touch

It starts (or ends) when Mom and Jellybean leave. Archie has already left by then, managing to do so without actually going anywhere. He’s just gone from Jughead’s life one day (and how did that even  _happen_?), and that means Mr. Andrews is too. Jughead has never had reason to count before, but a couple of months after he came home to empty closets and an apologetic note, he suddenly realizes that the number of people who touch him casually has always been limited. He can literally count them on the fingers of one hand. And now, all of a sudden, they are all gone.

First, he thinks it’s just his heart, that emo little muscle in his chest that never lets him ignore people enough for what they say and do not to hurt. It’s not that surprising that he is somewhat depressed over finding himself completely alone, he figures, and soldiers on. It will get better, he thinks, it always does. He talks to Jelly on the phone, and that helps. For a little while. He moves out of the trailer when Dad gets laid off and turns scary (again), so it’s probably not so strange that he finds himself unable to sleep. He will get used to his new sleeping arrangements, and things will get better. They always do. But they don’t.

He doesn’t connect the dots until a waitress at Pop’s aborts a pat to his shoulder as he recoils from her outstretched hand. And when he finds himself almost crying as she walks away, his body positively _aching_ with longing for her (or anyone) to touch him _._ Then it suddenly clicks; he realizes that he literally cannot remember the last time he felt the touch of another human being. Shaken by this insight, he gets up, throws a few bills on the table, and stumbles outside. Leaning against the dumpsters, he bends over and breathes deeply to calm his racing heart. _Can it be true?_ he asks himself, and immediately realizes that the answer is  _Yes_.

Nobody touches Jughead anymore. And it _hurts_.

He’s surprised to find out, via google, that this is a thing. _Touch starvation_. _Skin hunger_. Symptoms include depression, trouble sleeping, and in rare cases, muscle pains. Lucky him, he got the trifecta. That night, he goes to the trailer in some vague unarticulated (and fucking _stupid_ ) hope that talking to Dad will help. Not much talking happen, but Jughead does sleep better that night, and his muscle pains over the next days are of a different kind. A few days later he comes back for more, because ironically, getting beat actually hurts less than the alternative. But even as he curls in on himself on the sofa, arms covering his head and his back taking the brunt of his father’s anger, he knows that this is not a long-term solution. The blows, although plentiful, are only fleeting touches, and he doubts they are of the kind to make his brain release oxytocin anyway.

 

Going about this pragmatically, the way he has learned to do when it comes to taking care of basic needs (such as food, shelter, and apparently touch - who knew?), Jughead comes up with a plan. He approaches one of the Serpents, a young guy who has a certain reputation. The guy is definitely not straight, not exactly gay, and not even really bi, if you ask him. More of an extremely laid-back, equal-opportunity kind of guy when it comes to sex, and very adamantly not interested in anything more than that.

“Would you like to fuck me?” Jughead asks, once he’s cornered him.

The other guy looks him over and smiles.

“Sure."

“Regularly. Once a week, pending evaluation and further negotiation. No strings attached, no questions asked."

The guy smiles again, and it could have been condescending or pitying but it isn’t, and Jughead feels a little better about this.

“Sure,” the guy repeats. “I’m Joaquin."

“And you already know who I am. We have a deal?"

“Sure."

They do it in the restrooms at the bar that first time, Jughead providing a condom and lube. He’s already lubed himself up, and prepared according to instructions he found online, so he opens his mouth to say something to that effect as Joaquin presses a finger against his hole, but the other boy beats him to it.

“Hm, eager for the main act, I see. Next time I get to prep you, though."

After a few seconds, Jughead nods. Joaquin needs to get what he wants out of this deal, and if he wants to finger Jughead open as well as to actually fuck him, that’s the way they’ll do it. As the other boy presses into him, Jughead focuses on the hands on his hips. They feel good. They feel _great_ , even, and he doesn’t mind the other thing much, although having something  stuck  _up there_ feels kind of weird. He does mind when Joaquin reaches around to grab his dick, and he bats his hand away. The guy is a quick study though, and for the rest of the session his hands stay on Jughead’s hips. As they are both buttoning up their pants, after, Joaquin asks

“So what do you get out of it?"

Jughead glances at him sideways.

“No questions asked. We on for next week?"

Joaquin smiles.

“Sure."

 

Their arrangement helps, and when school starts up again Jughead figures he’s almost back to normal, back to how he was before Mom and Jelly left. That might still be not quite okay, but at least he manages to get out of bed most days. Joaquin, the quick study that he is, pretty soon figures out that while Jughead’s dick is off-limits, hands roaming over the skin of his back, hips and shoulders are not only tolerated but appreciated. If Jughead cries the first time Joaquin caresses him that way, neither of them acknowledge it.

“What do _you_ get out of it,” Jughead asks once. “Except for the obvious.”

He’s fully prepared for the other boy to throw his own _no questions asked_ back in his face, but surprisingly he doesn’t.

“I like giving people what they need. You… seem to get something out of this, and although I’m not sure what or why, I like being able to provide it."

Jughead nods, and they don’t talk about it again. A couple of weeks later, when Joaquin breaks it off, he does so gently and politely. There is a quality to his smile when he says he’s seeing someone now, _dating_ someone, that makes Jughead unable to feel anything by happy for the guy. Besides, he and Archie are back to being friends again, which means that Jughead occasionally gets a slap on the back from him, a hug from one of the girls, or a pat on the shoulder from Mr. Andrews. So even though Jughead will miss his sessions with Joaquin, it’s not as though he actually _needs_ them any longer. He’ll get by. He always does.


End file.
